by George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports

by George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Johnny Manziel is not talking. At least, not publicly. No interviews. No TV time. More than likely, no tweets. That was the word from Texas A&M officials Tuesday â?? but it's the quarterback's choice.

"I'll respect his wishes for that," Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said, adding that Manziel's decision was made after consulting with "his lawyers and his family."

Which only speaks to how odd the situation is. The buildup for No. 1 Alabama's visit to No. 6 Texas A&M is enormous, and the overarching storyline is pretty simple: Can Manziel and Texas A&M roll Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide again? But the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has clammed up on the advice of attorneys.

The reasons for Manziel's silence are well-known. He hasn't yet publicly discussed the pay-for-autograph scandal that enveloped him during the preseason and led to a one-half game suspension in the Aggies' season opener against Rice. But if he's not talking, it's not that dissimilar from the last time these teams met, last November in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The legend of Johnny Football wasn't born that day, exactly â?? he was already a burgeoning folk hero â?? but it fully blossomed. Manziel's performance in the Aggies' upset propelled a nice little story into superstardom. Manziel was restricted by Sumlin's no-interview policy for freshmen, but Johnny's football spoke loudly. We've all seen endless replays of the scramble-fumble-turned-touchdown-pass â?? the best illustration of Manziel's freelancing ability â?? and of his late-game passing for the winning score.

"It was a stage for the whole world to see what kind of player he is," Texas A&M senior running back Ben Malena said.

And junior offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who bumped into Manziel, jarring the football free briefly before the quarterback gathered it in and created that highlight TD, said the moment won Manziel the Heisman.

"Every Heisman guy needs that one game, and that was it," Ogbuehi said. "He just came out there, he played really good and confident. I'm hoping he does the same thing this Saturday."

The Heisman came soon after. It was followed by the endless offseason with Drake and LeBron, followed finally, just before the start of preseason practices, by the autograph scandal, which led to the half-game suspension and, for the last six weeks (with one brief post-game exception Saturday) a muzzled Manziel.

This week, we won't hear his take on beating Alabama a year ago, what it meant to him and the program â?? or how he's looking forward to the rematch. Last spring, Manziel told USA TODAY Sports he knew the Alabama game "was gonna be fun," and that he expected some of his new celebrity acquaintances to attend.

"It's big on the schedule," Manziel said then. "Look how we went in there last year and we were able to take care of business at their home, and now they're coming in here, trying to take care of business at our home."

Coaches and teammates said Manziel is a better quarterback now than last November. He worked during the offseason to become a better passer, and the Aggies' emphasis has been on remaining in the pocket longer and scrambling less often, without reining in his improvisational skills.

"He's come a long way," junior receiver Malcome Kennedy said. "Obviously, he's a unique quarterback. What he does makes him who he is. He's really been focusing on proving to everyone that he can be a great quarterback and make all the throws."

Sumlin spoke Tuesday of harnessing Manziel's intensity and passion. During the season opener, TV cameras captured Manziel talking with Rice defenders and making various gestures. Sumlin yanked him from the game after he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Sumlin said Manziel's behavior "was not the norm."

"He plays with great emotion and intensity," Sumlin said, "and it's my job to have that emotion and intensity moving in a positive direction because when that happens, great things happen."

Whatever happens, the TV audience is likely to see it. CBS plans to focus a camera solely on Manziel â?? the "Johnny Cam." It's not a completely new idea; the network did it, for example, with Tim Tebow a few years back. But Sumlin didn't sound happy with the development.

"Saturday afternoon, you're gonna have two football teams on the field," Sumlin said. "And I just don't understand why there's got to be one guy singled out to put a camera on the whole time. That's not what we're trying to be about and not what we're trying to promote. â?¦ With all the criticism about individualism on a football team, I don't think this helps enhance a team concept one bit."

Manziel has spoken publicly once since the autograph allegations surfaced. Last Saturday night, after a victory over Sam Houston State, he answered a few questions during the postgame interview session.

"I thought he did a great job," Sumlin said. "He expressed his feelings about his play Saturday and his teammates' play."

Many reporters were in the press box, on deadline. Manziel was not asked about and did not express his feelings on the autograph controversy or the suspension. Those questions undoubtedly would have been asked this week, and will be asked whenever the quarterback is finally available.

Until then â?? and especially Saturday â?? we'll all watch to see what Johnny's football has to say.

George Schroeder, a national college football reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @GeorgeSchroeder.